Shakespeare's Sonnets Translation
Sonnet 90

Original

Translation

Then hate me when thou wilt, if ever, now, Now while the world is bent my deeds to cross; Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow, And do not drop in for an after-loss: Ah, do not, when my heart hath ’scaped this sorrow, Come in the rearward of a conquered woe. Give not a windy night a rainy morrow, To linger out a purposed overthrow. If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last, When other petty griefs have done their spite But in the onset come; so shall I taste At first the very worst of fortune’s might; And other strains of woe, which now seem woe, Compared with loss of thee will not seem so.

So hate me whenever you want to, but if you ever do it, do it now,Now while the world is determined to frustrate my actions.Join with spiteful fortune, make me bow down,And don't drop an additional loss on me:Ah, do not, when my heart has escaped this sorrow,Attack my sorrows from behind when it has already been conquered.Do not give to a windy night a rainy tomorrow,To prolong an intended conquering.If you will leave me, do not leave me at the very end,When other trivial sadnesses have already done their harm;Instead, come at the first opportunity, so that I will experienceThe very worst that fortune can do to me;And other kinds of suffering, which seem heartbreaking now,Will be nothing compared to losing you.

Suzy Kim is a graduate student studying Victorian literature at Brown University. She studied English and Psychology at University of Pennsylvania, and some of her creative work can be found in the upcoming volume of The Graphic Canon: Tales of Crime and Mystery Vol. 1. She is from Seoul, and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island.